The Eternal Flame
by QuotheIDani
Summary: What happens to the Royai pairing when the anime leaves off? Much time has passed,and their story is finally going to be told.
1. Fairytale

Dani-Sama : This is just a short little intro I typed up. I was kinda wanting to spoof off of the 'Princess Bride' thing where the grandfater is reading the story to the grandson. But mine is Gandmother/Daughter

* * *

"Come here dear grandchild" a raspy voice beckoned to the girl.

At the sound of her grandmother's call,the child's bare feet made a rapid 'patter' sound on the wooden floor.  
Drawing nearer she smiled happily at the old woman before throwing her arms into the air.

With a knowing look,she picked her grandaughter up carefully,craddling the 4 year old in her lap.

Large brown eyes meet the old ones,and seemingly asked 'What is it grandmother?'

"Tell me"the grandparent began,"Have you ever heard the story about the 'Fake Fuher'?"

She could tell by the delay in the girl's speach that she did not know.  
And slowly,sure enough,a small head went left to right.

"I don't know that fairytale"she informed.

She looked up hesitently at the old woman,who was now laughing heartily.

"This is not a fairytale little one"a pause was held for a moment,"This is a real story about bravery,truth,and love."

The grandmother began again when she could tell she had the little girl's interest.

"No,this is much better than any fairytale."

The child's impatient wiggling told her to continue.

"Our story begins over 300 years ago,in a far away country once called Amestris."

* * *

Let me know what you think so far, Thanx! 


	2. Ishbal

"Amestris" the girl repeated it's name out of fascination. 

Taking a breath of air,her grandmother began to weave the forgotton story with words.

---

_Month one of the Ishbal wars_

Red quickly became everyone's least favorite color on the battle field.  
Be it Ishbalan or soldier alike;There was just too much of it.  
The tainted liquid always had a way of blodding your hands,whiether it touched you or not.

Life on the front lines was _hell._

The violence,oh the violence,it spread through every camp like a sickness.  
Gripping the hearts of those forced to fight in it's cold,uncareing,grasp.  
Turning them into monsters;Human grim reapers.

And death,as in all wars,was a common occurance.  
But it didn't mean it would ever be considered 'normal' by the people who actually carried out the murderous task.  
The soldiers,especially true for those in the Amestris military,knew this only to well.

Once they pulled the trigger,  
Thrust the sword,  
Completed the transmutation,  
They would forever loose a part of themselves.

And due to this,Roy Mustang lost himself many,_many_ times.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter,but I think it will have a more dramatic empasis now that I broke chapter 2 into two seperate parts! Please review,i'd like to know how i'm doing! 


	3. Dream

She looked at him with pity,the blonde snipper did. 

Her sharp eyes of amber stared as he viciously scrubbed his hands at the washbucket.  
From where she was,at least,she could see no filth on them;But still he washed.

Time and time again he filled his hands with an excessive amount of soap.  
Fingers eagerly rubbing the slippery substance against his skin.  
Then,in a jerked motion,he plunged his hands into the warm water;Making others back away as he roughly splashed diluted suds from the bucket.

He would never again be able to clean his hands the way he was trying to.

The woman finally stood,her stomach churning from the sight of his compulsive behavior.  
She could see newly forming rivulets of red on his knuckles.  
He'd washed himself raw.

With a quick step she stopped at his side,not caring if he drenched her blouse in his soiled water,and cupped her hands around his.

"I think we've seen enough of that today" she said soothingly,his blood staining her.

She could feel him tense beneath her palms,and for a moment she wondered if he was going to resist her.  
Gently she pulled at his hands,leading him away from staring eyes;And he followed.

---

The sun was low in the sky,and began to cast shadows on the Earth when the two entered an empty medic tent.

The woman had long since broken hand conact,and merely jerked her head at a chair to say '_Sit_'

Silently her new paitent obeyed;Resting his elbows on the table in front of him,eyes diverted away from her.

As his temperary doctor gathered supplies from across the tent,she gave him a good long stare.

He had a nice complexion;Not too dark,but definitely not as pale as she.  
And,luckily for him,seemed to blend wonderfully with that raven black hair of his.

Although it seemed to jerk out in all different directions,like he hadn't combed it.  
And between the hair and shape of his face,it gave him a rather boyish look.

"So" she watched the man jerk his head up,startled by her voice,"What's your name soldier?"

He paused,and even looked away from her.  
Leaving her without an answer.

She couldn't say she wasn't a little irked when he didn't respond.  
She was one of the higher ranking officals there after all.  
But her mouth stayed shut none the less.

With an irritable sigh,she sat in a chair across from him;Setting her things on the table.  
She splashed some disinfectant on his wound,becoming fully immersed in her work,only to have her concentration broken.

"Mustang" he began,"Major Roy Mustang"

She gasped in surprise,and was quick to stand and salute.

"Forgive me major,I did not know your rank when I spoke so harshly to you a moment ago" her fingertips lightly sat at her thin eyebrows,and her body was stiff.

The major simply stared at the table seeming to be unaware,or uncaring,of the subordinate's pleading apology.

"It's fine.." he murmered,and beconed for her to sit and finish her work.

Both were silent as she continued to treat his injury.  
Somtimes he would grimace at how tightly she wrapped the bandage,or she would crunch her brows together while focusing on doing a good job.

"Sir?" his eyes laizly looked up at the woman.

"Hum?"

"If you don't think it improper,may I give you a bit of advice?"

"Sure"

"Forget him" she ended simply,knotting the last bandage.

She took a breath before elaborating a bit more.

"The boy" her voice very quiet now,"The one you killed today"

The young Major stared a little above her head and drifted a few hours back.

---

Roy nodded as he was givin the order to empty out houses.  
His stride was fluid and proud,and he walked into the first home.

Without a thought his hand went into the air,and his fingers preped themselves.

But no '_Snap_' ever came

He glanced over to the fireplace where a small wimper seemed to come from.  
There sat a boy,no more than 10 years of age,with a riffle in his hands.  
He clearly was terrified out of his mind,and had never held a weapon before.

Red eyes had never looked so timid.  
So frail,and quivering.  
Just like his life.

It was dangling in Roy's hands.

He himself started to shake.  
Was he honestly about to end this Ishbalans life?  
This boy?  
This _person_?

The anxiety drew on for a minute or so before the young boy couldn't take it anymore.  
He lunged,shifting the gun so Roy was looking down it's barrel.

The tables were turned.  
It was kill or be killed.

'_Snap_'

There was no more boy.

Only Roy,all alone in a forgotton home.

Where happiness once thrived.  
Where a family once lived.  
Where they now all rested together,_forever_.

---

He suddenly pushed his chair back from the table,muttering a good bye,and quickly walked to the exit of the tent.

"Wait" the woman called out

He stopped mid-step.

"Where are you going?" she had a demanding tone

He didn't answer and stepped out of the tent,suicidal thoughts swimming through his mind.  
So many ways to die,so hard to pick...

"Stop right there" a hand grabbed his elbow,"Don't you _dare_ think about killing yourself! I've seen that look before!"

She rolled her wrist at his elbow,forcing the man to turn to her.  
Their eyes connecting.

"Instead of killing yourself,try to _save_ lives! That fire alchemy of your has to be good for somthing!"

By this time the snipper had crossed from disrespectful to a possible court martial.  
Objecting and hendering a superior's actions.  
Punishable by jail,or permanent leave from the military.

"It's better than leaving this world a coward" she pressed.

Roy was quiet for a moment.  
Staring lifelessly into amber eyes.

"I can't do that by myself" his voice was soft,barely above a whisper.

"Well it's a good thing you don't have to" she gave a light smile and stepped back.

"Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye,sir" she saltued,a serious look on her face,"Me and my talents are at your disposal"

The major took a quick breath.  
She'd just pledged allegiance to him.  
Treason.  
And she did it with a smile on her face?

If one were to hear her right now,she could be put to death.

He hesitated.  
Could he truley accept her support?

"Sir?" she paused changing her words,"Roy?"

Finally,a smirk,that came to be known as his trademark,appered.

"Let's go Lieutenant,mess hall's waiting. I wouldn't want the future General of my new country to go hungery" he turned walking away,hands shoved into his pockets.

"Sir?" she asked questioningly

"Didn't you know?" he paused,looking over his shoulder,"We're going to make our own country. One where there is no meaningless death,only justice."

A slight gasp escaped the woman,and for the first time she saw his true passion.

"Riza,you and me are gonna make it to the top" he pointed up,"Climb the ranks until we're number 1"

"Right" she whispered,"Number 1"

Silently they exchanged smiles.

A new bond had been formed,and through it,so had a _dream_.

* * *

Yes,yes I know I got some details wrong. Like Riza's rank,she was only a warrant officer when she went to Ishbal,and how Roy first relized his dream of becoming Fuhrer,and other stuff like that. But hey! Isn't it SO much sweeter that Riza helped him discover it? Anyway keep R&R-ing!  



	4. Secrets

The old woman paused to take a breath before returning to her tale.

"And from that point on, the two became intertwined. Always at each others side, always--"

"Wait!" the little girl stopped the story, "Grandmother, how did Riza know about the boy Roy killed?"

Her eyes, so large and innocent, gazed into the wiser ones with a questioning look.

The woman answered simply, "She was there"

A cock of her granddaughter's head told her to elaborate, "Riza was a sniper. A person who had a great aim with a gun, and fought their battles from afar. Preferring to single out their targets at a safe distance. It was a sniper's job, in the Ishbal war, to give cover fire to as many solders as possible on the battlefield. Alchemists namely. So she focused on one almost immediately, Roy. And as luck would have it, she was positioned to where she could see the whole thing happen"

The girl supposed the woman was talking about when the Ishbalan boy was killed, and gave a quiet 'Oh'

The woman paused, a thoughtful look on her face, "You know, it would seem as if Riza was protecting Roy from the very beginning. Isn't fate odd?"

She gave a sigh and began her story yet again, "And from that point on, the two became intertwined. Always at each other's side, always a part in each other's lives. Both on and off the battlefield."

---

The mess hall held it's usual volume of a dull roar that night. Utensils making subtle 'tinks' against tin plates, and the sounds of soldiers chatting away filled the eerie quiet that gripped Ishbal. At least for a few hours anyway. After mess hall closed, the void would win out; Once again drowning you in its empty nothingness. It's painfully crushing silence.

But for now the pleasant sounds were there, and should be savored. Yet Riza could not. She just couldn't help but feel it was improper for her to be so relaxed after what had occurred earlier that day. It would be disrespectful to be so happy after something so unhappy happened.

She sat silently at her major's side, the very thought of food sickening her. Drifting in and out of the conversation he and a newly acquainted Major Armstrong was having, she kept her mind wrapped in it's own world. Most of the time she stared longingly across the tent at the clock.

'8:56' she thought silently, 'Only 34 more minutes...'

"Miss Hawkeye, Riza, are you alright?"

Blonde hair fell in her face as she jerked her head to the voice, eyes wide and startled, "Yes, I'm fine" she spoke a little too quickly, revealing the lie in her voice. Both majors raised a brow and gave her an odd look.

Armstrong coughed lightly, "If there is anything I could help you with, I--"

"Thank you major I'll keep that in mind" she cut him off, and tapped the edge of Roy's plate lightly, "Eat your peas, Sir" With that she continued to look back towards the clock.

Riza wasn't concerned with the alchemist blowing a whistle on her for disrespect. He was much too kind to make any sort of move against her, despite the difference in their ranks. And even if he did, she highly doubted she'd be punished. Roy would speak against him in her defense. He would lie to get her off the hook, she knew this, and the upper soldiers would side with the Flame. She knew that as well.

Riza let herself slip deeper into her thoughts once she heard the two pick their conversation back up.

'9:01' She rested her face in her hand, 'Only 29 more minutes'

She sat silently, watching the minute hand spin around the clock as she waited of the mess hall to close. She could go to bed shortly after that. All nice and snug in her covers. The perfect end to a perfectly horrid day.

---

Before long Armstrong bid them good night, and all three officers left the entrance of the mess hall at 9:43, later than the lieutenant had expected, but at least they were leaving now. Armstrong went alone seeing as his bunk was in the opposite direction as the others. Leaving two of the three, Roy and Riza, walked back to their bunks together. Usually they were filled with nothing but interaction when around one another, but tonight was different. There was silence between them. It was strained to say the least.

"So" she heard him casually begin,"What's on your mind?"

Her back went ridged, he could tell, and she avoided his eyes. "Nothing, Sir" Roy watched Riza brush past him, opting to walk in front.

A dry smirk worked it way into his face, and he crossed his arms. "Liar" he stated simply.

She didn't even turn around, much less object to his overt taunt. She just kept on walking towards her tent, coming closer to the make-shift home by the second, the darkness of the night hiding her face from him. "As you say so, Sir" her voice was quiet and oddly leveled,"Good Ni--"

Roy grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the entrance of her bunk she so longed to walk through; And instead to him. Riza felt a hand at the small of her back, making sure she couldn't run away.

"Now what is it really, damnit?" she gasped at his harsh words.

Until now she had never seen Roy angry, or upset, and he _never_ cursed. Certainly not towards her. He'd always been this laid back man, joking with anyone and everyone, a boyish smile being displayed all the time.

"Well?" he growled lowly, and she still couldn't answer him. Her heart was pounding and she wasn't sure she could speak at the moment. She took a breath and glanced away before replying in a strained voice,"N-nothing,Sir" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him frown; An angry expression replacing his usually lax features.

"Tha--"

"I said nothing, SIR!" she argued suddenly, violently ripping free of his grasp.

Her spectacular amber eyes flashed with pain as she thrashed, a few stray hairs fell into her face as she did so, but didn't bother to brush them away. Instead she turned, quickly dashing for her bunk. He tried to catch her arm as she ran to her tent, but both were being tightly held at her chest, making sure he couldn't stop her this time.

With listless eyes he watched her disappear behind the fabric, before he himself returned to his bunk.

Both officers facing the emptiness of Ishbal _alone_.

---

The young Major blinked slowly, muffled moans deafening his ears. For hours now he'd lay awake in bed, listening to his lieutenant sleep through an uneasy slumber. Why did her bunk have to be right next to his? This gripping sadness was killing him. A soft sigh escaped him and he answered himself. Because she was his sniper, and snipers had to be as close to the alchemists as possible. Just in case of surprise attacks during the night.

He rolled onto his side, eyes catching sight of his pocket watch as it sat innocently on a nearby table. It gleamed brightly in the moonlight, and he scowled. How did an inanimate object have such a knack at ruffling his feathers? It wasn't even alive, it never said a word, but Roy swore it still found a way to communicate with him despite this. His frown deepened as he continued to stare. It was taunting him.

The cursed object was a symbol, and it stood for many things. First, and foremost, it was supposed to identify him as a certified state alchemist. What a lie. It tagged him as a dog, and he knew it. But what it represented, what the watch truly meant to him, was weakness. Enslavement. He was at the mercy of the military, bound by legal contract to do whatever they say. Even now, even when they weren't giving him an order, they controlled him. The fraternization rule. It was the leash they used to control Roy. The barrier they built to separate him from her. It was keeping him in his bed right now, wasn't it?

Damnit

He sat up, throwing the covers off of him before moving to put a shirt on. He'd had enough of this unnerving guilt at the pit of his gut. Fraternization be damned, he was going to Riza's tent. What if she was sick? She was a light, and quiet sleeper usually, something might be wrong with her.

His boots made no noise as he sneaked to her bunk, and he was relieved to see her front flap wide open. She hadn't zipped it up. That was good. He didn't want to risk waking someone just because he unzipped the tent too loudly.

"Riza" he called softly, sticking his head into the tent when silence answered him,"Riza, are you awake?" Roy fully entered her bunk hesitantly. Glancing around he noted the tent was very empty, only a bed and table inside with all of her personal belongings tucked under the box springs. She didn't have many items with her, apparently.

"Hey..." he crouched down at her bedside, a little breathless. She looked so broken. So broken, yet so perfect. Her face no longer held it's sharp edges as it did during the day. Now it was rounder, and had a more feminine shape to it. He supposed it was simply because she was asleep, that she achieved this hauntingly chronic appearance. But whatever the cause, it was mesmerizing to say the least.

He allowed his eyes free range, sweeping up and down her several times until they were finally satisfied. Unruly, golden hair framed her face. Rosey pink lips sat in a relaxed position, and her body possessed an ample chest as well as subtle curves. This was certainly a side of his lieutenant he'd never seen. Maybe it was because of the way her uniform was cut that he'd never noticed her fully formed bosom. Or maybe he'd never given the color of her hair any thought because it was always pinned in a neat bun. But for whatever the cause, he was taking note of her now. Only she'd never know it. He stood slowly, forcing himself to breath as he walked towards the exit. She was obviously fine, save for a slight nightmare, he should be leaving now.

There were a few short gasps, and Riza violently jerked in her sleep causing him to turn around to her. "Roy" she murmured in a meek and trembling voice, seemingly begging for him. Her hands tightly gripped the sheets, and her brows crunched together as the dream continued, her stress seemingly rising.

"Riza" he whispered, unsure of himself as he came back to her,"Riza wake up" He awkwardly shook her shoulder, still intrigued as to why she'd called out in her sleep like that. Well, he understood why she'd called out, but why his name? Why him? "Ri--" the woman gave a small gasp, and her eyes shot open as she suddenly sat up. Her chest was heaving as though she couldn't seem to get enough oxygen, and her skin shinned with sweat in the limited light coming from the tent's open flap.

"R-roy?" she choked, gasping a bit as she saw the man at eye level and in her tent. He froze for a moment, quickly thinking of something to say. 'Hi! Fancy meeting you here?' wasn't going to cut it he thought gloomily enough. "Well hello there, Sleeping beau--" the big grin he'd put on faded. "Riza?"

She sat trembling, actually trembling, and her eyes started to water slightly. "Hey now..." he took a gentler approach at handling her this time. When he'd raised his voice earlier, it hadn't worked so well.

He slipped an arm under her knees, and laid them across his lap as he sat next to her on the bed. The other hand carefully placed itself on her back, between her shoulder blades, and drew Riza into a sitting position. "Come on" he whispered as he felt her tense,"It's just me" She nodded, leaning into him obediently, and he responded by encircling a blanket around them both.

The two shifted slightly, Roy wrapped an arm tightly around her while Riza took hold of a handful of his shirt. He supposed it was the closest thing to a child's comfort item she had at this point, and he didn't object when she tugged it closer to her. "Riza" he breathed lightly as she rest her head against his chest.

He waited for a few moments until she had stopped shaking quite so hard to try and charm a conversation out of her. "Riza..." she sighed, knowing what he was about to ask,"Tell me what's wrong" The woman in his arms hesitated, nervously fingering the blanket to stall. "That's an order" he added jokingly, though she didn't laugh or even smile.

"Why are we here?" she asked quietly, making Roy raise an eyebrow at the odd question,"What was the purpose of coming to Ishbal?" Her face was angled down towards the ground, strands of dark golden hair covering her eyes. "Was it to serve our country? To protect the people we are bound to? To kill as many as possible?" her last remark was said quite darkly. "I don't thi--" he started weakly until she spoke over him. "Then why do we have to be here?" her voice shook and Roy could tell she was beginning to loose her grip,"I don't want to be here..."

The chatty major was at a loss for words. His lieutenant's strange statements baffled him to no end, and he was steadily becoming aware of the position the two had worked their way into. It was a little 'over-friendly' to say the least. A soft and warm sensation at his chest made him look down to find the woman's face firmly cradled against him. "I want to go home" she informed him,"I don't want to kill anymore. I don't want to be a demon" Roy's brows arched slightly. A demon? That was a strong word for Riza to dub herself as. Too blunt if he had any say in the matter. "Since when are you a demon?" he questioned. And why the sudden remorse? He wanted to ask that as well, but held his tongue. One question at a time was all he guessed Riza could handle right now. Though, when he eventually did ask that question, he hoped he didn't find that she'd been letting all this grief build up inside. While he, on the other hand, was too blind to notice. "Hum?" he baited her further.

"Since a man I killed told me so" she answered him simply and honestly. 'An ishbalan?' he wondered silently,'When did she get close enough to even talk with one of them?' "I shot him down" she continued her story willingly, Roy not enjoying the tale she told,"He was comming up behind you, and you hadn't realized it. You never pay very much attention, sir." she told him this in a matter-of-factly tone. "I aimed with the scope, just like always. I pulled the tigger as I normally do. And I cocked the gun, same as ever. Everything was done perfectly. Nothing was any different than usual, yet..." she choked slightly. This next part was terribly hard for her to say, and he waited for her to finish silently. "Y-yet everything turned out so wrong"

'Wrong?' What had happened? His mouth was set in an unwavering line and he spoke with a certain tone that clearly identified him as a leader,"Riza...Tell me everything"

* * *

A/n - I don't know how this got to be so fluffy but here it is! The 4th chapter! Tell me what you think!  



End file.
